Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus are here, and they’re gloriously affordable

Lenovo has launched the Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus, both of which have been some pretty highly anticipated devices over the past few months. This is also one of the first releases from a Moto phone where it’s clear that the Google influence is completely absent, for better or worse.

Both devices sport a premium metal design that comes in either Lunar Gray or Fine Gold, and they’re backed up some fairly decent hardware for mid-range phones.

Lenovo surveyed a ton of users to try and gauge what most people wanted out of a smartphone, and while the results won’t surprise anyone, it’s nice to see a company try and take that feedback into their products. Most people wanted long lasting battery life, high resolution screens, and excellent cameras (duh) so that’s what we’re seeing in the Moto G5 family.

The Moto G5 sports a 2800mAh battery powered by a 1.4GHz octa-core CPU with 2GB of RAM, paired with a 13-megapixel camera for taking and uploading great shots. Software backs up the camera with phase detection autofocus, so this should legitimately be an impressive camera for the price tag.

The Moto G5 Plus is the bigger, slightly more advanced of the two devices, with some key improvements in the hardware department. The processor has been clocked considerably higher at 2GHz, and Lenovo upped the battery capacity to 3000mAh. The 12 megapixel camera uses dual autofocus pixels, too, which means autofocus will be much faster than previous models and low-light performance should see some great improvements.

The Moto G5 Plus also utilizes TurboPower charging, which means you can get up to six hours of battery life from just 15 minutes of charging. There’s a fingerprint scanner on board, too, which Lenovo says can also be used to navigate the interface with a single finger.

Both devices are also shipping with Google Assistant, which means we’re finally starting to see Google’s AI experiment make its way to the masses.

The Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus are set to release in March across various countries at various price points. The G5 will launch in a $199 configuration with 2GB RAM/16GB storage, and the Moto G5 Plus will have a $229 2GB RAM/32GB storage option and a $279 3GB RAM/32GB option. They’re unlocked, so you’ll be able to take them to any carrier you’d like.

These should be some serious contenders in the budget-friendly market, if they live up to the hype that Lenovo is promising.

Born in southern Alabama, Jared spends his working time selling phones and his spare time writing about them. The Android enthusiasm started with the original Motorola Droid, but the tech enthusiasm currently covers just about everything. He likes PC gaming, Lenovo's Moto Z line, and a good productivity app.